“Why, so you can have your happy ending and I get nothing? You can’t leave me!” she shrieks.
“Where is she, Sarah? I’m not going anywhere. I won’t leave you, I swear. I just need you to let Jesse go, so you and I can have a conversation about us.” The word ‘us’ feels disgusting rolling off my tongue. There is no us. I reach down to re-holster my gun. I won’t shoot her and deep down I know she won’t shoot me either.
“Sarah, I’m coming in.” I reach through the shattered window, turning the deadbolt to unlock the door.
Just as I begin to twist the lock from the inside, Sarah screams and does the one thing I never thought possible. She aims at me and pulls the trigger.
Jesse
“THANKS FOR going with me today, baby girl,” Caleb says as we finally head back to my apartment.
It’s been a rough of a day and I’m exhausted, both mentally and physically. My eyes are painfully red from crying, and although I’m sore from sitting on the cold, hard cemetery ground, Caleb needed me today. He needed to say goodbye to Manda once and for all, but he needed the push from an outsider to finally do it.
We sat at her grave for hours talking. His emotions were all over the place. He slid from despair to longing then somehow ended up pissed off. He said he wanted to let her go, and I think he meant it. I don’t think he even realizes how stuck he is. My relationship with Brett has forced him to realize there really is something missing in his life. He wants to move on, but he’s still so angry about losing Manda, he can’t see past it and into a future. God, it was horrible to watch. He’s always so strong and to see him so lost, sitting while tracing the name on her headstone. It was heartbreaking.
“You’re welcome. I’m not sure how much I helped though.” I offer him a weak smile.
“You helped,” he pats me on the leg, and rounds the corner into my apartment complex. “What the fuck?” he yells when we both see numerous cop cars surrounding my apartment. He swings into a parking spot a building over from mine.
“Stay in the car. Do not get out under any circumstances. Got it?”
“Yeah, okay,” I nervously respond.
Caleb gets out and walks over to a police officer, and out of curiosity I roll down my window to see if I can hear their conversation. The minute my window cracks barely even an inch, I hear the scary sound of Brett screaming Sarah’s name and glass shattering. At that moment there isn’t a lock in the world that could have kept me contained in the truck. I sling the door open, and take off running toward my apartment. Towards Brett.
I’m trying to keep it together as I race down the sidewalk with Caleb chasing behind me. I have no idea what’s going on, or what I’m going to find when I get there, but the strain of fear in Brett’s voice is more than enough to keep me moving in his direction. Just as I get close enough see my door, I hear the unmistakable sound of a gunshot. I instinctively freeze, allowing Caleb just enough time to catch up.
As I stand there, the whole world seems to be frozen too. I know there are a million things going on around me, but all I can see is Brett stumble back from my door before falling to the ground. It painfully steals my breath, and for a split second, I’m not completely sure it wasn’t me who caught the bullet. But the pain that rips through my chest as I watch the man I love fall to the ground is far worse than any gun could ever cause.
Brett
“BRETT!” I hear Jesse’s strangled scream.
I can’t figure out where it comes from, but I know I’m going to find out. Hope swells in my chest that she’s still alive, and I jump to my feet ready to climb through that impossibly small side window to get to her.
“Brett!” I hear her terror-filled scream again.
This time her voice clearly comes from the parking lot. I glance to my left and see Jesse standing on the sidewalk trying to fight her way out of Caleb’s restraining arms.
I’m not too much of a man to admit that tears of relief immediately flood my eyes. My knees go weak as I stand and stumble in her direction. If I didn’t need them to get to her, I have no doubt they would buckle completely under my weight. I don’t know how she is standing there unharmed, but it is the most spectacularly beautiful sight I have ever seen. Tears may be running down her cheeks and her wide eyes are full of fear, but the way she looks at this moment could never be topped.
My life just began again.
I jog over to her as she launches herself into my arms. “Oh my God, Brett! Are you okay?”
“I’m better than okay, gorgeous.” I bury my face in her neck as the last few tears escape my eyes.
“What the hell is going on?” she asks, never releasing me.
“Jesus, I thought you were in there. Jesse, fuck. I thought…” I trail off trying to get my emotions in check.